Hi friends! I'm back and now in Alabama. I hope to update this a lot more. My new roommate & her boyfriend are not only super nice but also have some good recommendations that I will hit up and report on.
So I knew about Bottega before I came here as I had done some research on the "it" chefs in Birmingham. One of them is Frank Stitt. He's been nominated for a James Beard award a glittering 10 times and won for best Southern chef in 2001.
Unfortunately Bottega did not blow me away but I want to try it again because I didn't quite care for the things I ordered.
Starters: Yelpers described the parmesan souffle as "to die for," so I eagerly started with that. I thought it was "meh"-- it tasted like and somewhat resembled quiche. I don't like quiche but I suppose if you like quiche you would have thought it was good. I did like the mushrooms and prosciutto on the side. Tom started with the red snapper crudo. It was light and the fish was very fresh but I thought the mint warped the flavor. When I was little and misbehaved my mom use to punish me by forcing me to drink mint flavored cod liver oil. It was so gross-- and for some reason the mint on the fish just triggered that taste of the cod liver oil. Tom loved it though-- he called the crudo "beautiful" and "inspired."
Entrees: My entree was also relatively mediocre. I had the pork loin. I thought it was over seasoned (too much pepper for my tastes) and a bit dry. I really enjoy pork with an a jus sauce or a fruit chutney. This pork came with figs which were interesting but didn't really satisfy the craving for a sauce. The farro side was just okay-- kind of bland. But the polenta was divine-- creamy, cheesy, almost like grits. Tom enjoyed the lobster spaghetti with crushed tomatoes and hot chili. I had a bite and it was incredibly flavorful. I wanted more but Tom liked it too much!
Desserts: We split the gelato trio. Usually dessert is not my favorite part of the meal but this gelato was scrumptious. Chocolate Jack-Daniels, fig ricotta, and caramel. All were creamy. Maybe the best gelato I've had (at least in awhile).
I really liked the atmosphere-- very modern, Spanish/Italian feel. The service was a bit slow. They never gave us menus after they brought us our drinks-- I had to ask for the menus. Though I've noticed that about a few of the Southern restaurants so maybe it's just a culture thing?
In short, I wasn't that impressed but I'd like to try it again. And I'm still very interested in trying Stitt's other restaurants-- Highlands & Chez Fonfon.
I should note that Tom LOVED this restaurant and would have rated it 5 spoons (plus a bronze!). When I told him I gave it three spoons he threatened to "destroy me" with a counter-point in the comments.
Three spoons. Moderately expensive.
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